1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation detection device and system, and a scintillator panel provided to the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a radiation detection device and system for use in medical diagnostic devices or non-destructive inspection devices, and to a scintillator panel provided to the same.
It is to be noted that the types of radiation discussed in this specification include electromagnetic waves such as X-rays, alpha rays, beta rays, and gamma rays.
2. Related Background Art
There has been an accelerating trend in recent years toward digitalization in the field of medical equipment, which has also prompted a paradigm shift in the method of roentgen photography from the conventional film and screen method toward x-ray digital radiography.
Examples of x-ray detection devices for use in roentgen photography employing the x-ray digital radiography include those having a sensor panel and a scintillator panel bonded to each other using an adhesive layer composed of transparent adhesive. Here, the sensor panel is provided with a photoelectric conversion element portion that comprises a photosensor and a TFT that are formed of amorphous silicon or the like. The scintillator panel comprises a phosphor layer consisting of columnar phosphors, and a reflecting film such as a metallic thin film for reflecting visible light emitted from the phosphor layer in the direction of the sensor panel.
In such x-ray detection devices, there are no restrictions regarding the structure of elements constituting the sensor panel or the materials for the phosphors used in the scintillator panel. Therefore, these devices may be implemented in various useful combinations determined as appropriate according to their intended applications.
Incidentally, there are several methods for bonding a scintillator panel and a sensor panel to each other using an adhesive layer. For one, there is sometimes employed a method in which adhesive is applied between the scintillator panel and the sensor panel, and a roller that is pressed against the scintillator panel from above is rotated in a state where the two panels are arranged opposing each other, thereby bonding the two panels together.
However, in such conventional art, there are instances where a load that acts on the phosphors upon pressing the roller against the scintillator panel causes a part of the phosphors to break. In particular, even when the same pressing load is applied, since dispersion of the load is interrupted on end faces of phosphors located in peripheral regions of the scintillator panel, the phosphors layer inevitably experiences greater pressing pressure acting in the vicinity of its end faces than in a central region thereof.
Should a phosphor be broken, light scatters within the phosphor, which causes unwanted blurs to appear on a photographed image. Thus, there exits a need to prevent occurrence of this phenomenon.